911 briefs -- Published Oct. 10, 2013

STOCKTON - San Joaquin Delta College police were investigating a sexual battery that took place Wednesday in a stairwell within the Cunningham building, officials said.

The Record

STOCKTON - San Joaquin Delta College police were investigating a sexual battery that took place Wednesday in a stairwell within the Cunningham building, officials said.

A female student told police she was walking alone in the southeast stairwell about 11:55 a.m. when a man walked up from behind, grabbed her buttocks and fondled her breasts, police said. The student fought back, and the man ran away, they said.

The assailant was described as a black man 25 to 30 years old standing 5 feet 10 inches tall with a medium build and a short, scruffy beard, authorities said. He was also said to have dirty teeth, bushy eyebrows, acne and body odor, officers said.

Police have been attempting to make campus stairwells safer following a series of widely publicized incidents. The campus hosted a safety fair for students last month following a series of assaults in the past school year.

STOCKTON - Police arrested one of two men who led officers on a high-speed pursuit in a stolen vehicle early Wednesday, authorities said.

Officers attempted to make a traffic stop about 3 a.m. in the 1900 block of La Jolla Drive, but the driver failed to yield, police said. The driver led authorities on a three-mile pursuit that lasted three minutes and reached speeds of 60 mph, officers said.

The vehicle then stopped, and the occupants attempted to flee on foot. One was apprehended, but another got away, police said.

The other person who fled from the vehicle was described as a black man about 30 years old standing 6 feet tall and weighing 180 pounds with a gray hooded sweatshirt, police said.

SAN ANDREAS - Calaveras County Sheriff Gary Kuntz on Wednesday announced he has hired two new correctional officers to work in the County Jail.

Corrections Officer Justin Teague is originally from Tuolumne. He is a former aircraft mechanic and Navy veteran who served in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Corrections Officer Bret Belshe is originally from Valley Springs and previously worked as a captain for the Central Calaveras Fire and Rescue Protection District.

Both will undergo months of training at the jail and attend a corrections officer academy.

The hires come at a time when county leaders are struggling to figure out how to pay for adequate staffing at the newly constructed County Jail, which is scheduled to open in November. A Calaveras County Board of Supervisors study session on the issue has been repeatedly delayed at the same time that County Administrative Officer Lori Norton has predicted that continued revenue shortfalls will likely trigger additional budget cuts as soon as January.